Does anyone have any special recomendations on the best way(s) to take a picture of flies. I have tried numerous attempts at photographing some of my fly patterns but each time I go to get photos developed or download digitals, they are not a pretty sight.. I am open to suggestions, but in the end if I need a new digital camera it might have to wait b/c I just purchased a new Ross Canyon Reel. If anyone has a special trick for light or background I would love to hear about it.

Smcdermott

08-02-2004, 10:36 PM

I am no expert but the three key factors I have found are:

You need a tripod (small ones are like $15)
Natural light works best if you can get it.
Look for a macro setting on your digital camera.

Sean

FishHawk

08-03-2004, 04:34 AM

The biggest problem I see people do is use the on camera flash at too close a distance. This tends to blow out the highlights. Digital photography can not handle overexposed highlights. The other common mistake is to use mixed light sources. Try to use a light source that is close to natural light in color temperture as possible. I use to do digital photography before I got laid off these are my recommendations hope they help. FishHawk

CascoBay

08-03-2004, 07:56 AM

Thanks for the hints I will give it a try..

grego

08-04-2004, 12:37 PM

I agree that natural light is best & the camera flash is a waste.

When natural Light is not available I use my 500 watt Halogen shop light.

Also, the background is important... use a Non-Glare back drop.

Also, I use the Potrait Mode (usually a flower or Tree Icon on the button); this give sharp focus with minimal depth-of-field.

Also, I have found my Olympus autofocus to be very sensative; You Must push the shoot buttom down "half-way". In the view finder a light will change from Orange to Green Indicating that the object is in focus.

Here's an example with a Nav Chart used as a backdrop:

http://home.comcast.net/~owirka/misc.html

Quentin

08-04-2004, 10:14 PM

Some hints that I didn't see posted yet:

Make sure the fly doesn't blend in with the background. Use backgrounds that allow you to see the colors in the fly.

Use the maximum resolution setting on your camera and use the spot focus setting if available. If the image keeps coming out blurry, try moving the camera farther away from the fly. Even if the fly looks small in the viewfinder it will be larger than life when you crop the image and view it on your monitor!

Hope this helps!
Q

Adrian

08-04-2004, 10:31 PM

Another trick is to use a flatbed scanner - a lot cheaper than a digital camera and you can get some interesting results by using different backgrounds.

Chris

08-05-2004, 01:42 PM

I've had good results using my Ott light for lighting small objects. I use it for tying but find the near natural light wave lenghts it generates are very good for lighting close up photos.